Our Ultimate Security - Psalm 125
By: Walter Wiens
There is a hymn some of us remember - “I shall not be moved.” After we have sung the song we should have a degree of stability - having repeated the words “shall not be” or “I shall not be moved” 26 times.
But, at times we do become unsettled. What then? We feel the ground below us shaking, the sun above us hidden, the waves of sickness, even terminal cancer too much for us. What happens when we feel unsettled? We feel insecure, apprehensive, hesitant, with little confidence.
When we are waiting for the medical test results and the doctor begins, “I have some hard news for you - you have a fast growing, invasive cancer” are we unsettled and unsure of whether we can make it? Are we simply not living right? When our children have rejected their faith in God, or our family is divided and our family gatherings are only a faint memory - where is our strength?
Psalm 125 points to an answer for stability and security. The exact context of the Psalm is not given in the title. But the wicked were oppressing the LORD’s people. (v. 3). The line, “the scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous,” implies that the power and control of the wicked was over the land of the righteous. The words “the scepter of the wicked will not remain” point to the reality that Jerusalem was often surrounded by wicked people. Evil had apparently the upper hand and the righteous were wavering.
This meant that the Psalmist was leading the worshippers in a difficult crisis. But, even within a context of persecution and oppression he assured his fellow worshippers to continue to trust in the LORD. As they trusted - even though oppressed and persecuted - they would be like Mount Zion. This means they would have an inner strength in the greatest oppression.
However, even though we, who trust in the LORD and will be secure like Mount Zion, there may be a time we will take our eyes off the LORD. This is the warning given in the phrase “for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.” The warning is that just because we follow God and trust the LORD does not mean we will not use our hands to do evil. In other words, we will take things in our own hands.
May we trust in the LORD all the time - no matter what is happening, no matter whether we believe the wrong prevails, or a disease is too invasive.
God is the LORD - he surrounds and embraces each of us. May we rest in his security.